hypothetical_eventsfandomcom-20200215-history
October 2026 Southern California Wildfires
The October 2026 Southern California Wildfires were a series of wildfires that burned a large area of Southern California. At least 2 fires occurred, the largest so far being the Blackhawk Fire, which burned approximately 552,916 acres. At least 184 people were killed in the fires. San Diego, Orange, Los Angeles, San Bernandino, and Ventura counties were particularly hard hit. Orange County was almost completely destroyed by the Gist Fire. Synopsis On October 11, a Santa Ana wind event began across Los Angeles, Ventura, Riverside, San Bernandino, San Diego, Riverside, and Imperial counties. The winds were deemed historic, with winds in the coastal areas, valleys, and deserts sustained at 45-50 mph, with gusts as high as 80 mph. In the mountain areas, winds gusted to 120 mph and were sustained at 80 mph. These remarkable winds were accompanied by single digit humidity levels in all regions and temperatures in the triple digits in all areas. The winds peaked on October 12,13,18, 21, 22, and 23, with triple digit heat and single digit humidity lasting from October 11 to October 24. However, by October 20, most of the burnable open land in Southern California was already burnt away, which is why no new notable fires erupted after October 18. At first, the Santa Ana's were blowing from the north-east. However, on October 14, another high pressure formed over Baja California, causing the winds to shift towards the north-west, catching fire fighters off-guard. This is what caused the Gist fire and a few other fires to grow to the size they did. Notable Fires For a fire to have been considered notable, it must have destroyed at least 10,000 acres of land or 500 buildings. Other Fires There were 173 fires that burned at least 50 acres of land, 83 that burned at least 100 acres, 28 that burned at least 1,000 acres, 12 that burned more than 10,000 acres, and 4 that burned at least 100,000 acres. One 22 acre fire burned in the San Diego Zoo, killing 67 exotic animals and 6 people in the zoo. The relatively low death toll was due to the fire starting in a closed off area and it moved slow, allowing most people and animals to escape. Another fire burned in Griffith Park in Los Angeles, killing one person. The observatory was also burnt down in the 735 acre fire. Gallery Cedar Fire 1.jpg|The Gist fire approaches a Bonsall community. Northwest Crown Fire Experiment.png|The Hughes fire burns a radio station. Fire.jpg|The Cheseboro fire burns in the heart of the Angeles National Forest. Wildfire - Fire Retardant.jpg|An airplane drops fire retardant on the Blackhawk fire. Ventura Fire Trees.jpg|The Gist Fire burning in the Chino Hills State Park. Disneyland Fire Smoke.jpg|Smoke from the gist fire blankets Disneyland. Whittier Fire Santa Ynez.jpg|The Fourfork fire approaches Fillmore. Wildfire near Cedar Fort, Utah.jpg|The El Captain fire 2 hours after ignition. Fire approaching homes.jpg|The Desert fire nearing homes in Hellohole Palms. Cedar Fire 2.jpg|The Gist fire seen from Escondido. Cedar Fire 3.jpg|Drivers scramble for cover as the Blackhawk fire crosses the Interstate 138. Thomas Fire 1.jpg|The Long Canyon fire burns homes in Thousand Oaks. Fire Damage 1.jpg|Homes in Rosamond destroyed by the Airmen fire. Fire Damage 2.jpg|This vineyard near the Gist fire start location was partially burned down. Fire Damage 3.jpg|A Rosamond neighborhood destroyed by the Airmen fire. Fire Damage 4.jpg|Cars destroyed by a fire in Mission Trails, near El Cajon. Fire Damage 5.jpg|A neighborhood in La Quinta destroyed by the Silverrock fire. Category:Wildfires Category:California Wildfires Category:SDT